Confused About Light? Get Answers Here!

[sameeralord]

Confused about light!

Hello everyone,

I'm confused about light. I know when a photon with certain matching energy comes, it excites the electrons to a higher orbital, and releases a photon when it comes back.

1. What happens to the orginal photon that lost energy?
2. I then read about absorption and reflection, then they were talking about resonance. I don't understand how what I described above with photons apply to reflection and absorption. Can anyone explain me to me with photon theory what happens in absorption and reflection.

Thanks

 

[Tac-Tics]

When a photon is absorbed by an electron, it disappears. You could think of it as the photon combines with the electron to create an excited electron.

I'm not sure I understand your second question.

 

[sophiecentaur]

When you get reflection, a photon is not just interacting with one atom. The simple H atom is not an appropriate model to deal with EM wave interaction with a solid reflector. You don't get 'spectral lines' either by absorption or re-radiation in condensed matter, you get a broad band effect in which the energy of photons corresponding to a wide range of frequencies gets re-directed at the frequency of the original wave, in a 'specular' reflection. You can treat the process in terms of waves (it behaves classically).

 

[sameeralord]

Thank you both for your replies They were helpful. I can understand the second question through waves. So my question basically is

I know when a photon with certain matching energy comes, it excites the electrons to a higher orbital, and releases a photon when it comes back.

For reflection is this what happens or to understand reflection I have to consider light as a wave. If what I have quoted is not reflection what is it?

Basically to understand reflection and absorption do I have to consider light as a wave?

Thanks